ABSTRACT
The phylum Bryozoa is an incredibly diverse and widely distributed group of marine invertebrates whose phylogenetic relationships are still poorly understood, especially for species found at shallow subtidal to intertidal depths. This study aimed to expand the taxonomic sampling and assessment of the phylogenetic diversity of cheilostome bryozoan species present along the rocky outer coast and within sheltered harbors of California, USA. High-throughput genome skimming was used to produce multiple mitochondrial genes for samples collected from two rocky intertidal and two harbor sites. Phylogenetic analyses generated evolutionary hypotheses of species relationships and identified 15 distinct species that represent 10 different families to form the first comprehensive mitogenomic phylogeny for multiple bryozoan families sampled across approximately 973 km of the California coastline. These results support existing bryozoan phylogenies and provide significant additions to the available mitogenomic data on cheilostome bryozoans for both California and the North American west coast.
